A hearty welcome to PT Explorers, Alison. We are super excited to have you here. Would you please introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m originally from Malta but have lived in Helsinki, Finland for over 15 years. I’m a tech program manager with a wild side – when I’m not navigating the complex and fast-paced world of technology, I love being out in the wilderness, camera in hand, waiting for the perfect shot of a stealthy wild cat. I enjoy the thrill and adventure of visiting remote wild places to capture photos of animals in their natural environment. I mostly focus on wild cats as they captivate me, and I have to prioritize my limited time in the field.
What made you become passionate about Wildlife Photography?
I grew up on a small island in the Mediterranean, where there was very little opportunity to see any wildlife. I used to love watching documentaries of faraway wild places, and I daydreamed of one day going on my own adventures to see all those places and the creatures that live there myself! Eventually when I grew up I met a very well-traveled gentleman who spent hours inspiring me with engaging stories of his travels and showing me his wonderful photographs. It suddenly dawned on me that I could make my childhood dreams a reality. So I bought myself a little bridge camera and started to travel to places I saw in the documentaries whenever I could. In the beginning I only took photos to capture and share memories with friends and family, but very soon I started to get very interested in photography and strived to learn more and improve. As social media emerged as a potent storytelling platform, I realized that images of wild animals could ignite meaningful dialogues about conservation, so I dedicated myself even more to this craft.
As a Wildlife Photographer, how do you capture emotion and show the importance of conservation issues?
Capturing emotion in a wildlife photograph is a combination of patience, technical skills and also luck. After locating an animal and assessing the overall setting and light, I position myself and patiently wait for those moments with engaging facial expressions, body postures or interactions. It is critical that the focus is on the eyes, and I am working out ways to draw the viewer’s eye to the subject in my compositions. I tend to use a lot of eye contact in my images to establish an emotional connection with the viewer. I also try to capture expressions and poses that are engaging. Through capturing the beauty and distinctive physical and behavioral traits of my subjects, I aim to emphasize what we stand to lose, and highlight that these magnificent sentient beings are the ones ultimately bearing the devastating consequences of our human activities and our failure to adequately protect them.
Do you have a favorite animal to photograph? Why?
I fell in love with Cheetahs from the moment I first set eyes on them as they are so elegant and graceful. Watching them run at full speed to catch prey is one of the most amazing things I have witnessed in nature. I also have a soft spot for them because they are somewhat of an underdog – being the fastest land mammal on earth comes at the cost of strength, so most other predators are a threat to them and chase them off their kills and kill their cubs. They also have very interesting behavior. Mother cheetahs are very doting to their youngsters and fiercely brave when they need to defend them. Unrelated male cheetahs sometimes form coalitions, which increases their odds of survival and allows them to hunt and catch prey that would not be possible for a lone male. I also once witnessed a fully grown young male cheetah who had just been abandoned by its mother to fend for himself insinuate his way into another cheetah family with younger cubs. He lurked around the family with submissive posture until he was accepted and spent months living with them. I was there the moment they first met and it was fascinating!
Could you tell us about the tale behind your well-known Cheetah kill photograph?
We were on a game drive in one of the conservancies in the Maasai Mara in Kenya way back in 2013, when we came across a cheetah family, a mother called Narasha and her two full grown offspring. They were trotting with purpose towards an impala. To our surprise the impala made no attempt to escape and the cheetahs literally walked up to it and the mother grabbed it by the neck, encouraging the younger ones to kill it as a teaching opportunity. On closer inspection of the images one can see a few other bite marks on the neck, and after talking to an expert we concluded that most probably the impala had been already attacked before we arrived on the scene and escaped, and was probably in shock. The shock made it freeze in place, dulling the instinct to fight back or run away. This resulted in a unique photo, because the impala has such a dignified posture and seems to be looking directly at the camera. The photo eventually went viral with a false story attached to it, implying the impala sacrificed itself to save her fawns but this is totally untrue, and no animal would behave like that in the wild.
With your photographs, what are you hoping to communicate?
I always try to showcase the beauty and personality of the wonderful creatures I photograph to convey the message that animals are sentient. They form complex social bonds, navigate through the myriad challenges of survival, and raise their young against all odds with tender care that’s beautifully universal. They have as much a right as us humans to live and share the planet with us.
What’s the most elusive animal you’ve had to photographed and how did you meet that challenge?
For a very long time I wanted to photograph the Iberian Lynx, because they look so cool! However, up until recently they were teetering on the brink of extinction and very difficult to photograph, also due to their shy and elusive nature. In 2001 there were less than 100 individuals in the wild, and after intense conservation efforts in Spain and Portugal, in 2023 this number had risen to more than 1600. Ecotourism started to be used as one of the many incentives to protect the species and after some research I chose a location where I calculated I would have the best chance of photographing one. In the summer of 2023, I traveled to Central Spain to a manchego cheese farm where the Iberian Lynx was reintroduced some years ago in collaboration with local agencies and the WWF. There is now a healthy population of wild Iberian Lynx. I spent 10 hours a day for 5 days in tiny hides waiting patiently in complete silence in the hope of seeing this iconic cat. One morning the stillness was broken by magpie alarm calls. From my research I knew that in this area, only one creature gets them this agitated. Adrenaline surging, I gripped my camera tighter and a few moments later I saw a shadow appear on the ground, then an Iberian Lynx emerged from behind the hide. My heart almost jumped out of my chest as another one trotted out from the same spot. They were a mother and her year-old offspring. I still cannot believe I got to see these elusive creatures that we came so close to losing forever.
Of all your wildlife photography experiences, what are some of your truly memorable moments?
The most memorable experience I had was undoubtedly in the south of Chile in Patagonia, in a park called Torres Del Paine and an adjacent estancia called Laguna Amarga. This area offers amazing opportunities to photograph pumas in some picturesque mountainous landscape. Wildlife photographers can follow and photograph pumas on foot – the pumas here have been protected for years, and the photography takes place extremely ethically so as not to put pressure on them.
As a result the pumas don’t see humans as a threat, they see people as just another part of the landscape and completely ignore them. To hike in this remote terrain with its notoriously wild and unpredictable weather and be able to observe these pumas go around their daily business completely unfazed by our presence is a memorable and exhilarating experience.
Where’s your go-to photography location that you always go back to for photographing wildlife encounters?
I keep going back to East Africa, specifically the Mara-Serengeti area. As a wild cat lover with limited available time in the field this is the perfect destination as all the big cats are relatively easy to see, habituated to vehicles, and one also stands a good chance of seeing the smaller cat species: Serval, Caracal and Wild Cat. The landscape is also quintessential African and good for photography as it’s very open.
Is there an animal that you are yet to photograph but would like to?
I have a long list of those, and my dream is to be able to photograph all of the wild cat species. Currently the Pallas’s Cat is at the top of my list. I find their appearance very endearing, and I am intrigued by their unique behavior. I’m hoping to manage to photograph this awesome cat within the next few years.
What would you say to young girls who want to get into wildlife photography?
You can do anything you set your mind to do! Join forums, groups, or clubs that focus on wildlife photography. Engage with a community that shares your interest and where you can learn from others. Your photographs can be a voice for the voiceless. Use your platform and images to raise awareness about wildlife conservation and inspire others to care about the natural world.
Can you give our readers your best wildlife photography tips?
The choice of location and the time of the year is crucial to be able to get the photos you want, I usually dedicate a lot of research to this. I want to ensure the odds of getting the photos I want are good. I also place a lot of importance in teaming up with knowledgeable guides who can help me find my target species and get me to the perfect position based on their knowledge of the area and animal behaviour. On a more technical level my best tip would be to not be afraid to shoot with high ISO. In many other photography disciples this is discouraged, but wildlife photography is different as many interesting photographic opportunities present themselves at dawn and dusk. Nowadays there are some really good denoising software options to use, and they work really well to clean up the images.
In your belief, what poses the largest threat to wildlife conservation? As a photographer what can be done about it?
The threats to wildlife conservation is a multifaceted issue: there’s habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, climate change, pollution and human-wildlife conflict. But in essence it’s about human behaviors and systems driven by socio-economic factors, and at its root cause is the increasing disconnection between humans and nature. As a photographer I strive to rekindle the connection between people and wildlife and also raise awareness about various conservation topics. Whenever wildlife photographers visit national or private parks we are contributing economically and sending a message that animals are worth more alive. While this seems transactional, profit is the main reason many parks still exist, and many parks are always under pressure as entities want to re-purpose them for other endeavors such as farming, mining, building roads etc. We must also recognize that being in the wilderness is a privilege as there aren’t many such areas left, especially with healthy animal populations. So wildlife photographers must always keep the welfare of the animals as their top priority and only engage in ethical activities without harassing the animals.
Some words of inspiration/ advice for young aspirants in this field?
In a world of social media where everyone’s feed is highly curated, it might seem that wildlife photography is effortless and this might set some warped expectations. Many wildlife photographers who are at the start of their journey might feel discouraged that they are not getting the same results as they see online, or missing many shots. The reality is that behind many wildlife photos there are many hours of work (sometimes months and years) and often there’s absolutely no result to show for it. There are also many failures compared to successes, especially in the beginning of a wildlife photographer’s journey. But with each missed shot, there is a valuable lesson to be learned, and persistence is the most useful skill needed. The good news is that anyone can learn to be persistent! The most important thing of all is that you enjoy the experience in nature and the moments shared with the earth’s beautiful creatures.
